After a day of swimming and naps on the sand, you come home with rough lengths, a straw effect, knots that are impossible to untangle. Nothing very surprising. Salt-laden sea water, sand and UV rays attack the hair fiber, raise the cuticles and leave hair dry after the beach. We often have the reflex to rush into the shower to do a heavy shampoo, when this is precisely the moment when a simple gesture before washing can really change the situation.
This gesture is the coconut oil bath applied to dry hair before shampooing. Cosmopolitan points out that this vegetable oil, rich in lauric acid, protects the hair’s keratin and limits its porosity, which helps the fiber retain its water and suppleness. The idea is not to mask dryness, but to restore lipids to hair thirsty by salt, while preparing the next shampoo so that it washes without stripping.
Dry Hair After the Beach: What Salt, Sand, and Sun Really Do
Worse than a simple swim, repeated dives and drying in the sun weaken the scales surrounding the hair fiber. UV rays directly attack keratin, salt and sand absorb natural moisture, the hair becomes brittle. Specialists also distinguish between dry hair, lacking fatty substances, and dehydrated hair, lacking water: after the beach, we often combine the two, hence the importance of nourishing before hydrating.
Coconut oil before shampoo: the SOS oil bath after the beach
To benefit from the repairing effect, the tip is to apply coconut oil as a pre-shampoo, to dry or very slightly damp hair. Melt a dab in your hands, the equivalent of 1 to 2 tablespoons depending on the length, then massage the lengths and ends, strand by strand. You can also put a little on the scalp if the skin feels tight. Leave on for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or even overnight if the hair is very damaged.
When washing, emulsify the oil well with a little lukewarm water before applying a mild shampoo, even if it means shampooing twice to remove any residue. Thanks to lauric acid, coconut oil easily penetrates the fiber and limits protein loss during washing. Cosmopolitan recommends not exceeding two to three oil baths per week, to avoid weighing down the roots and clogging the pores of the scalp.
Adapt the coconut oil bath to your hair type
On fine hair, it is better to keep it light: a very small amount on the ends, used more occasionally, is often enough to avoid the greasy effect. Curly, frizzy, or kinky hair generally tolerates more material because it is naturally drier and prone to frizz after the beach. In all cases, choose a virgin coconut oil, without added fragrance, and test a drop in the palm of your arm if your skin reacts easily.